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Address error cost an ailing Oakland man his health insurance; nonprofit helped him get it back

Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA)

Dec. 18--OAKLAND -- All his son did was fill out a change-of-address form. But it could have killed Michael Titus.

The 69-year-old Oakland resident has end-stage renal disease and needs kidney dialysis three times a week to stay alive. For years, the East Bay native had gotten that through his Kaiser Medicare Advantage plan at the Satellite Healthcare clinic in Oakland.

But last year, Titus' son, also named Michael but with a different middle name, moved out of his dad's house and alerted the U.S. Postal Service to have his mail forwarded to his new home in Antioch. But the post office started forwarding the elder Michael's mail instead.

After receiving a change-of-address notice and thinking that its patient had moved out of the area, Kaiser discontinued his coverage, Titus said.

But Titus, who retired from a job at a Lucky Supermarket warehouse and now lives modestly off his Social Security checks, was unaware he was uninsured until he tried to get a new pair of glasses.

That could have been a disastrous bit of news. But Bob Gibney, a volunteer with Legal Assistance for Seniors' Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, stepped in to help Titus sort through the mess.

Legal Assistance for Seniors has received funding this year from Share the Spirit, an annual holiday campaign that serves needy residents in the East Bay. The grant is administered by the Contra Costa Crisis Center, and donations support programs of more than 40 nonprofit agencies in Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

After Titus -- who enjoys cooking, watching movies and the occasional horse race when he's not mired in red tape -- found out his health insurance had been canceled, he tried to solve the issue himself.

But, he said over coffee after a dialysis appointment one unseasonably warm morning, he ran into roadblock after roadblock. "It was just terrible," he said.

Then Titus learned about Legal Assistance for Seniors, the only legal services program in Alameda County dedicated to seniors. Gibney picked up the case and got to work needling Kaiser, reaching out to the post office and filing a formal complaint with Medicare.

Gibney, a retired attorney who says the complicated world of medical insurance appeals to his "lawyerly instincts," ultimately got Kaiser to reinstate his coverage retroactively after months of pressure.

"It was just dealing with the bureaucracy," Gibney said.

"Michael is a very intelligent, wonderful individual," he added. "It just overwhelmed him."

Titus is grateful for the help.

"They didn't want to talk to me, and they didn't really want to talk to Bob," he said. "I really don't know why they sent me through all that."

A spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service, Gus Ruiz, suggested that the change-of-address form might have been filled out incorrectly. And Kaiser Permanente did not respond to a request for comment.

Throughout it all, the clinic made sure Titus continued to receive the kidney dialysis he needed to survive. And the clinic's social worker, Makenda Burroughs-Miller, even helped him secure a grant from the National Kidney Foundation to cover some of the premiums he had to pay after his coverage was reinstated.

"And there ends the story," Gibney said.

Well, not quite.

The tale continues for legal-assistance volunteers like Gibney, who was visiting a senior center in Emeryville when this newspaper reached him.

Experts say that as baby boomers in the area age, the need for legal assistance, such as help fighting elder abuse or navigating public benefit claims, is growing.

According to Legal Assistance for Seniors, the demand for such services is expected to double in the next few years. Roughly 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day in the United States.

"Unfortunately, this is the kind of situation a lot of seniors find themselves in," said Legal Assistance for Seniors' executive director, James Treggiari, who worked as a staff lawyer for the organization before taking the helm several years ago. "There's just not a lot of guidance for people."

Legal Assistance for Seniors receives funding from a number of law offices, as well as East Bay cities and state agencies that focus on Medicare counseling and outreach. Its Health Insurance Advocacy and Counseling Program (HICAP) is among its most popular services. But the Trump administration has talked about slashing federal funding for state health insurance assistance programs, including HICAP, leaving Treggiari and Legal Assistance for Seniors nervous.

Last fiscal year, HICAP helped some 4,500 people with health care questions, a number that has increased over the years as more Bay Area residents age and as people live longer.

Readers with questions, and individuals or businesses interested in making large contributions, may contact the Contra Costa Crisis Center, which administers the fund, at 925-939-1916, ext. 408, or [email protected].

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(c)2017 the Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.)

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